After concluding the preseason with an 0-3 record, the Arizona Cardinals received no recognition in ESPN’s “Predicting the Top 100 Players for This Season” rankings. The Cardinals joined the ranks of the New England Patriots, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints as the only teams without a single player featured on the list.
While the Cardinals may not boast a roster filled with household names, excluding all their players from the top 100 seems overly dismissive, especially considering the offensive talent they possess.
For starters, their #3 overall pick of the 2024 draft, Marvin Harrison Jr., is a name that most definitely should have been included. Comparing him to other receivers who made ESPN’s list, it’s surprising to see veterans like Stefon Diggs and Cooper Kupp ranked ahead, especially considering factors such as age and supporting casts. Harrison’s potential impact as a rookie could easily place him among the league’s elite receivers this season.
Then you have James Conner, who missed four games yet still managed to log a 1000-yard season. According to Maurice Jones-Drew at NFL.com, Conner was the 7th most valuable running back during the 2023 season. Staying true to those rankings, six running backs made the list over Conner.
Perhaps the most surprising snub is quarterback Kyler Murray. The former Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler was left off a list that included 16 quarterbacks. Players such as Matthew Stafford, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, and even the aging Aaron Rodgers were ranked ahead of Murray.
This marks the second consecutive year that the Cardinals have been entirely absent from ESPN’s top 100 rankings. Last year, they stood alone as the only team without representation. In contrast, the 2022 rankings featured multiple Cardinals players, including Kyler Murray at 54th, Budda Baker at 66th, and DeAndre Hopkins at 96th. The recent omissions point toward a growing trend of underappreciating the talent present in Arizona’s roster.
